Takeaways from the racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking indictment against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

By Eric Levenson, CNN

(CNN) — The first paragraph of the three-count federal indictment against the music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs lays out in an overarching summary the serious and sprawling allegations against him.

“For decades, Sean Combs, aka ‘Puff Daddy,’ aka ‘P. Diddy,’ aka ‘Diddy,’ aka ‘PD,’ aka ‘Love,’ the defendant, abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct,” the indictment states. “To do so, Combs relied on the employees, resources, and influence of the multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled – creating a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.”

The indictment from the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York charges Combs with three counts: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he faces a sentence of up to life in prison.

Combs, 54, pleaded not guilty to the charges in court Tuesday afternoon. He was denied bail and will remain in federal detention, a federal judge ruled.

Judge Robyn Tarnofsky told Combs there were no conditions she could find to assure her that he will appear in court. “My concern is this is a crime that happens behind closed doors even when pre-trial services is monitoring,” Tarnofsky said.

In particular, the indictment accuses Combs of leading a “criminal enterprise” with other associates and employees, alleges he hosted drug-fueled “Freak Offs” with victims and sex workers, notes instances of physical and sexual abuse, and illuminates what law enforcement found in the March raids of his homes.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the indictment.

Combs accused of leading criminal enterprise

The first charge in the indictment is racketeering conspiracy, a federal crime used to target organized criminal syndicates, known as an “enterprise,” such as the Mafia.

In Combs’ case, the “Combs Enterprise” consisted of Combs, the leader; business entities, including his record label Bad Boy Entertainment; and employees and associates, including security staff, household staff, personal assistants and high-ranking supervisors, the indictment states.

“Members and associates of the Combs Enterprise engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other activities, sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice,” the indictment states.

The indictment lists eight purposes for Combs Enterprise, including the above-board businesses of operating a media, entertainment, and lifestyle business.

Yet the other purposes were to preserve Combs’ power through violence, threats and abuse, to fulfill his personal sexual desires by exploiting women and using sex workers, to enable him and others to commit sexual violence and sex trafficking, and to protect the enterprise from law enforcement through “intimidation, manipulation, bribery and threats of retaliation” against witnesses.

Victims and sex workers participated in ‘Freak Offs’

The indictment alleges Combs held what he called “Freak Offs,” or elaborate sex performances in which he drugged and coerced victims into extended sex acts with male sex workers.

These “Freak Offs” occurred regularly and sometimes lasted multiple days, the indictment states.

The events were arranged by Combs and facilitated by his staff and employees, according to the indictment. The employees arranged the travel for victims and sex workers, booked hotel rooms, stocked them with drugs, baby oil, lubricant and extra linens, cleaned the rooms afterward and gave Combs large sums of cash to pay the sex workers, the indictment states.

Further, Diddy kept videos he took of his victims engaging in sex acts, sometimes without their knowledge, the indictment states. He allegedly used those videos to exert control over his victims.

“Combs also used the sensitive, embarrassing, and incriminating recordings that he made during Freak Offs as collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the victims,” the indictment states.

Indictment notes 2016 video of Combs beating woman

The indictment accuses Combs of years of abuse and specifically notes the surveillance video exclusively obtained by CNN showing him beating his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, the artist known as Cassie, at a Los Angeles hotel in March 2016.

Combs “engaged in a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals,” the indictment states. “This abuse was, at times, verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual.”

The physical abuse in particular was “recurrent and widely known,” the indictment states, and occurred on “numerous” occasions from about 2009 and continued for years.

The indictment highlights one instance at a Los Angeles hotel in or about March 2016, “which was captured on video and later publicly reported,” showing Combs kicking, dragging and throwing a vase at a woman. When a hotel staffer intervened, Combs attempted to bribe them for their silence, the indictment adds.

The details match up with CNN’s reporting in May of the video that showed Combs beating and kicking Ventura. She is not named in the indictment.

In November 2023, Ventura sued Combs and accused him of rape and years of abuse. In response, an attorney for Combs said he “vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations.” They settled the lawsuit a day after it was filed.

The explosive surveillance video contradicted Combs’ earlier comments denying wrongdoing, and days afterward he posted an Instagram video apologizing.

“My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video,” he said.

Law enforcement seized guns and ‘Freak Off’ supplies in raids of Combs’ homes

Law enforcement seized guns, ammo, drugs and a huge collection of baby oil and lubricant during searches of Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles in March, according to the indictment.

Law enforcement seized “various Freak Off supplies,” including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, at his homes, according to the indictment.

In addition, the indictment alleges Combs’ associates at times carried firearms and accuses Combs of brandishing firearms “to intimidate and threaten others.” Law enforcement seized firearms and ammunition in their searches of his homes, including three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers and a drum magazine, the indictment says.

Number of victims is unclear

The indictment lays out offenses against a number of victims, including women and commercial sex workers, but does not specify how many.

The prosecution’s letter asking for Combs to be detained before trial notes that “dozens of victims and witnesses have provided detailed, credible, and corroborated information against the defendant,” combining the totals of victims and witnesses. In another part of the letter, the prosecution states it “has conducted interviews with over 50 victims and witnesses” and said that number is expected to grow.

US Attorney Damian Williams was vague when asked to clarify the number of victims at a news conference Tuesday. “We are intentional in saying ‘multiple,’” he said.

Meanwhile, the sex trafficking charge is based on allegations against a single, unnamed “Victim-I” from about 2009 up to about 2018, the indictment states.

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CNN’s Kara Scannell, Elizabeth Wagmeister and Nicki Brown contributed to this report.